LATEST INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 673, 12 May 1870, Page 4

LATEST INTERCOLONIAL NEWS.

The Ballarat Easter Fair has resulted in a gain to the funds of the Ballarat iL'ast Public Library of L 242 10s lid, derived from aggregate receipts amounting to L561 14s lid. The Ararat Advertiser has received trustworthy information from the Wimmera District, that the young grass has commenced to spring up all over the country. One of the employees of the United Company, Garden Gully, Sandhurst, named Jinks, received a serious hurt on Friday while engaged breaking stuff, through some overhanging stone falling from about 10ft above him and striking him on the head. On the 28th ult. at Melbourne, a shoeblack, aged about 40, named Michael Darcy, attempted to commit snicide by drowning, but ju3t as he had mounted on the parapet of Prince's bridge to take a melodramatic leap into the Yarra, he was seized by the leg by a constable, who hauled him up and lodged him in the city watch-house. He had been drinking for some- time past. On Wodnesday evening 27th ult. afoot, apparently that of a man, was washed ashore at Sandridge. The foot had on an elastic-side boot, and was very much decomposed. It appeared as if the entire body had been fretted to pieces by friction, assisted by the fishes, which apparently had gnawed the foot down to the boot, which stopped further progress. There has been no clue as yet as to whose body the foot may have belonged. A case of unusual kind was heard at the Emerald Hill Police Court on Saturday, 30th ult. A volunteer artilleryman named Andrew Lillie was charged with assaulting Major Krone, his superior officer, at the drill-room of the Emerald Hill Artillery Corps, on the 27th April. The Bench sentenced the defendant to a month's imprisonment with hard labor. Notice of appeal was given, and for the present proceedings are stayed. A singular snake adventure is reported by the Benalla Ensign :— " The youngest daughter of Mr Lamerock, a farmer residing near Benalla, was playing the piano one evening, when she saw something on one of the pedals which she mistook for a ribbon. On pressing the pedal she felt something moving on her foot, and found it was a snake. Mr Lamerock soon killed it. The reptile was a carpet-snake, 4ft long, and how it got into the house, built of brick, it is difficult to imagine." Regarding the new rush at Sandy Creek, near St. Arnaud, the Majorca (Independent states:— "The sinking is shallow, and a large number of holes have been bottomed, but beyond a few claims round the prospectors no gold can be found, although a fine wash is obtained all over the flat. The locale is near the Darling Flat Company's works and at no great distance from the scene of a late rush. Owing to the certainty that the gold found is merely a patch, and no lead can be traced, hundreds have already left the rush. The whole of that locality has the reputation of patchy ground, but no leads of any extent are opened." A fire broke out about half-past 11 o'clock on Saturday night 30th ult. , in a baker's shop in Ballarat street, Carlton, occupied by Mr Martin Hughes, and the flames spread to the adjoining tenement occupied by Mr Schultz. The fire burned most furiously, and the buildings being of wood, communicated to some stabling at the rear. The Melbourne Brigade arrived within a few minutes of the alarm, and there being a strong pressure of water they soon succeeded in rendering all fear of a further spread groundless. At about 10 o'clock, Mr John M'Crea, occupying a a room above the bakery, went to bed, and was awakened' by the fire, but the flames had gained so rapidly that he did not escape without his hair being very much scorched, and in fact he only just got off with hi 3 life. The conflagration i appeared to have originated in the bakehouse, but the cause is unknown. Mr Martin was insured for L2OO, and Mr James Crough, owner of the premises, to the extent of L3OO. News was received in Sydney on the 30fch ult., that the ship Walter Hood, from London, bound to Sydney, which was signalled off Cape Otway early in'the week, had been totally lost, and that the captain and thirteen hands were drowned. Later in the day fuller information came to hand. The ship was wrecked between Jervis Bay and Ulladulla on Tuesday , last. The captain was stated to be still alive, but others, it was said, were drowned. The Government steamer Thetis was immediately dispatched to the rescue of thirteen men who were seen hanging on to the wreck. The ship was reported as parting amidships. The Theti3 returned from Illalong this evening having rescued the survivors from their terrible position. Two of- the men were found dead from exhaustion. A passenger named Haines was drowned. The rest were brought on to Sydney by the Thetis. The wreck is going to pieces. The cargo was insured in Sydney offices for L 27,000. ' The quantity of rain which fell at Brisbane, Queensland, during the month of March, appears to have been something astonishing. There were twentysix rainy days in the month, and the rainfall, as registered by the Government meteorological observer, was equal to no less than 34 04in, considerably more than the average rainfall for the whole- year, and 10in more than the average annual rainfall of Melbourne. The only other years on record during which anything like this plague of waters was experienced were those of 1863 and 1867. In 1863, however, the largest month's rainfall was 14. 36 in during 23 days in March j and in 1867, 15.28 in. in April. On the night of the Bth March last, the meteorological observer says :— "8 20in fell during 12 hours, the total fall for 24 hours being 9 # 6sin, a quantity exceeding any to he found in the numerous exchanges from various parts of the world sent to this observatory. From 9 a.m. on the sth to 9 p.m. on the 9th, four and a-half days, the fall amounted to 24*26 in, an enormous quantity, equal to about 564 tons to the acre per day.